There are nights when I wake up and just can’t breathe. Thoughts are racing and the pressure is horrible. I worry about everything from giving birth to getting back to work after the baby is born! I had no idea anxiety during pregnancy can get this bad.
It starts with butterflies and trembling. My heart feels like it wants to pop out. I’m pregnant and I have panic attacks. The worst time to have them. And I’m very worried about my child’s development. I constantly wonder can anxiety hurt my unborn baby? I obsess over it and invent different scenarios.
On the other hand, worrying about anxiety effects on your baby is another symptom of anxiety. So – should I be worried, or it’s all in my mind. It’s like a vicious circle of severe pregnancy anxiety.
When I Google Is it normal to feel anxious during pregnancy, I find that one in three women can have severe pregnancy anxiety attacks. So that means it is normal but doesn’t have to be.
Pregnancy Anxiety: Feeling very raw and scared
I’m crying a lot when I’m on my own. When I’m with others, I feel frozen. After every pregnancy panic attack, I feel there is something wrong with me and I’m scared there will be more.
I find it hard to talk about my anxiety with others when there is obviously a great source of joy growing inside of me. I feel guilt. And that guilt adds on the mega stress I feel.
Each morning I struggle to get out of bed. And I’m tired. So tired. Can’t seem to shake this fatigue off, no matter how much I rest during the day.
On occasions, some very dark thoughts come to my mind. I try to put myself first and take care of my health because that’s how I take care of my baby.
I’ve read that if you have anxiety and depression symptoms during pregnancy, they tend to get much worse after the baby is born. I’m very scared of that.
How do I deal with my pregnancy panic attacks?
When they come during the night, there isn’t much I can do. But when If I feel them coming during the day, I can try to relax.
I do a lot of breathing exercises when I start to feel panicky. I try different meditation for pregnancy anxiety – tips. Mindful breathing (4-7-8 breathing) does something for me. I won’t say that it really cures the anxiety, but it does help me cope with all of the negativity and gets me kind of centered. I generally prefer natural remedies for anxiety during pregnancy over meds.
I plan to try that breathing technique during labor when it starts to get tough.
A thought that keeps me going when it gets tough
I know there are some weird things pregnant women do, but when I caught myself Googling “worst things that can happen during pregnancy”, I knew I had to stop. I thought about reaching out to organizations that help women who suffer from antenatal anxiety and depression. But I’m just not sure.
This comprehensive guide on Dealing with Pregnancy Anxiety helped. I more or less, understood what I’m going through and that I’m not alone.
A thought that gives me strength is that women around the world who struggle to get food, don’t have clean water and live in jungles and warzones give birth to healthy babies all the time. If they can do it, so should I.
My body is programmed for pregnancy. I should trust more that nature will take its course.
If you had similar difficulties, please comment. It helps to know anxious pregnant women around the world aren’t alone.
